Angle-cock adjuster for air-brakes.



. w. s. m: cAMP.

ANGLE COCK ADJUSTEB FOR AIR BRAKES.

APatented Apr. I, |902.

(Application med Dec. 31,:1901.)

i (No Model.)

/Hlll A TTOHNEYS zIi `ILLIAM S. DE CAMP, OF CHILLICOTIIE, OHIO.y

ANGLE-COCK 'DJUSTER FOR AIR-BRAKES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 696,803, dated April 1,1902.

Application led December 31, 1901. Serial No. 87,885. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that LWILLIAM S. DE CAMP, of

Chillicothe, in the county of Ross and State of Ohio, have invented anew and useful Improvement in AngleCock Adjusters for Air- Bralies, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements upon the angle-cockadjuster for airbrakes described and claimed in my prior United Statespatent, No. 688,602, December lO, 1901. In describing that invention itis necessary to state in a preliminary way that in the ordinary airbralesystem a train-pipe runs from end to end of the car and terminates ateach end in an angle-cock the mouth of whose casing dips down at anangle to join onto the flexible hose that connects the trainpipe betweenthe cars. Through this trainpipe, its hose-couplings, and angle-cocksthe air passes from the locomotive to operate the brakes, which, asusual, are put into action by a reduction of pressure. In coupling upthe cars the angle-cocks are ordinaril y operated by hand through ahandle by the brakeman in order to give free passage of air through thetrain. This act is one that is dependent upon the memory of thebrakeman,` and if he should forget to so cut in the angle-cocks, andthus preclude continuity in the air-passage through the train-pipe, allthe airbrakes in the rear of `this closed angle-cock are inoperative anduseless, and serious danger and delay may arise therefrom.

The object of my present invention is, as in my patented device, toprovide a means whereby the engineer may from his locomotive adjust anyor all the angle-cocks to the open or cut-in position in case of suchoversight; and to that end it consists in a new and useful constructionand arrangement of a pneumatic angle-cock adjuster designed to beoperated by an increase of air-pressure in the train-pipe over and abovea normal pressure of siXty-iive pounds. This new construction securescertain advantages over and overcomes certain difficulties incident tothe construction heretofore patented by me, as will be hereinafterdescribed.

Figure l is a plan view, partly in section;

of my an gle-cock adjuster applied to the trainpipe. Figs. 2 and 3 areenlarged sectional details, Fig. 2 being on line `2 2 of Fig. l and Fig.3 ou line 3 3 of Fig. l; and Fig. 4 is a side View of the parts shown inFig. l.

In the drawings, A A' represent the trainpipe, which runs from end toend of the car and at each end has the ordinary angle-cock B, which inmy present invention comprehends a special form of casing with one ofits mouths connecting with the section A' of the train-pipe and itsother mouth turned down at an angle to connect with the dexible hose C,that connects the traiirpipe between cars. In this casing is arrangedthe usual turning plug C', having a transverse passage-way c through it,with a crank-handle C2 on the end of the same outside the case. Thiscrankhandle is'turned ordinarily by hand, and when turned into aposition in the plane of the trainpipe the passage-way c in its plugopens communication between the train-pipe and. the flexible hose, andwhen said crank-handle is turned to a position at right angles to thetrainpipe communication in the latter is cut off.

My invention provides means for adjusting the angle-cook plug to theopen position in a pneumatic manner by the engineer from the locomotiveat will, but by a different means from that shown in my previous patent.

The train-pipe, near each end of the car, is cut :in two to form the twosections A A', and between them is iitted a tubular coupling d, whoseends are screw-threaded to receive the screw-threaded ends of thetrain-pipe sections A A', by which it is supported and which thus formsa continuation of the train-pipe. Cast in one piece with this couplingcl is a cylinder D of about three inches internal diameter, one end ofwhich is cast with a closed head D', and the other end is formed with aflange d' and a detachable head D2, bolted or otherwise secured to saidiiange. Within this cylinder there is arranged a piston E, whose slidingsurfaces are packed air-tight. A sleeve E' is secured centrally topiston and extends through an openingf in one head of the cylinder, andin its outer end is loosely seated a rod E2, jointed to an arm g on thecrank-handle C2 of the angle-cock plug, so that when the piston movesoutwardly or toward the cast head of the cylinder this sleeve E" and rodE2 will force the crank-handle of the anglecock plug t0 the cut-inposition, or the position v plete the inclosure of the case.

in which the passage-way in the plug opens a continuous communicationthrough the train-pipe. To give the necessary movement to the piston loproduce this result, I employ a valve F, which opens at a predeterminedpressure and allows air to pass to the air-tight side of the cylinder.This valve (see Fig. 2) is intended to take air from the train-pipe, andat a predetermined pressure in excess of the ordinary train-pressure toopen the trainpipe into the cylinder to actuate the piston. This valve Fis mounted on a seat l at an intermediate point between the cylinder Dand coupling d. This seat is also cast in one piece with said couplingand cylinder and has a port 2, Figs. 1 and 3, leadingfrom the center ofthe valve-seat to the interior of the cylinder D, and another port 3,leading from the interior of the coupling and the main train-pipe to thevalve-seat.

Vithin the seat 1 there is held a conical point 4, mounted upon a metaldiaphragm 5, which point enters and opens or closes the hole 2,according tothe pressure of air coming in from the inlet-port 3. Thediaphragm is clamped in the cup by a washer 6 and an external casing 7,which is flanged and screwthreaded, so as to be turned into the cup l. Ahelical spring Sis contained in the case 7 and'is seated at one end upona center-pin 9 on a lug attached to the diaphragm and at the other endis held by an adjustable plug 10, which is screwed into the top of thecase and may be turned in or out to vary the tension of the spring. Anexternal cap 11 incloses this plug and screws onto the threads of theplug, so as to protect the same and com- This form of pressure-valve isnot new in itself, but is a convenient and practical for'm of valve foradmitting air to the cylinder only when the air-pressure exceeds thetension of the spring.

Now if by accident or forgetfulness an an- I gle-cock is left closed atany point on the train and the engineer desires to open it pneumaticallyhe simply throws a greater airpressure on the train-pipe than thenormal, and this excess of air-pressure will open valve F and allow airto pass from the train-pipe to the cylinder D and there acting upon thepiston forces it back and turns the angle-cock plug. This is easily andcertainly accomplished, for the reason that the conical point 4 of valveF is held closed on port 2 by spring 9 at the ordinary pressure ofsixty-tive pounds and only opens the port 2 by an excess of this normalair-pressure acting against the diaphragm 5.

I will now explain how the air-pressure gets past a closed angle-cockthat may be between the adjuster-cylinder and the engine. For thispurpose each angle-cock is formed with a special casing (sce Figs. l and4) in which is cast a valve chamber 12, containing a spring-valve 18.This valve-chamber has one port 14 leading to one side of the angle-cockplug C and another port 15 leading to the other side of said plug. Thevalve 13 seats itself toward the port l4. from the tension of the spring16 and is retained in its bored chamber by a removable screw-plug 17.This valve 13 has a very light spring, that always allows theair-pressure to force it back and the air to pass by it and through theport 15 to the other side of the angle-cock; but this valve acts as acheck-valve for any movement of the air in the opposite direction, sothat if this angle-cock is at the rear end of the train i-t closesautomatically and does not allow air to waste out of the train-pipe.This valve may be vertical. Where the pistonsleeve E passes through theend of the cylinder there is a leather head w,.forming an elastic padwhich fills the end of the cylinder and fits closely down to the saidsleeve and acts like a stuffing-box in connection with a circular ridgew of the piston, which when the piston reaches the end of its strokepresses tightly against the leather head and forms a tight joint toprevent the escape of air. By providing this sleeve and allowing it towork in true axial line through the end of the cylinder I get at thispoint not only a species of stuffing-box, but the connection between therod E2 and the sleeve is a loose one, that allows some lateral play atIthis point, thatprevents cramping and binding ofthe plug-arm rod.

In the side of the cylinder D there is tapped a waste-cock to2, whichwhen opened allows the air in the cylinder to escape, so that the pistoncan easily be moved back again when it is desired to turn by hand theangle-cock handle back to a closed position. When the air escapesthrough this waste-cock, the diaphragm-valve closes automatically.

At the rear end of a train having my invention the train-pipe must beprovided with a back-up hose or dummy coupling, which permanently holdsthat end of the train-pipe closed.

It will be understood that the normal trainpipe pressure is not to belimited to sixty-live pounds, but may be less for low-speed brakes andhigher for high-speed brakes-z'. e., it may be maintained at anyarbitrary pressure.

In making use of my invention it is not only to be applied to theair-brake pipe of a train, but is equally applicable to the airwhistlepipe of modern passenger trains, which have the same hose connectionsand angle-cocks between the cars and are used for the transmission ofsignals between the conductor and the engineer.

In pointing out the advantages of my present improvement over thedevices contained in my previous patent I would state that my presentconstruction is not only much simpler, but it entirely dispenses withthe outside or supplemental air-pipes and the double valves of thatconstruction. These outside air-pipes are liable to be struck andderanged on the road, and if rendered leaky they would allow the air toescape and pro- IOO IIO

duce an involuntary and possibly dangerous application of brakes, whichmight permanently disable the train.

By the term angle-cock as used by me I mean any cock that couples thetrain-pipe to the iiexible hose between cars, Whether' said cock-casingbe bent at an angle or straight.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An angle-cock adjuster comprising pneumatic means for turning theplug of said cock, and a by pass valve for carrying the air around theangle-cock plug, said by-pass valve being located in the casing of theangle-cock substantially as described.

2. A pneumatic angle-cock adjuster cornprising a cylinder apressure-valve anda piston for turning the angle-cock by increasedair-pressure, and a by-pass valve located in the angle-cock casing topass air around the plug of the angle-cock substantially as described.

3. The combination with the train-pipe and the angle-cock controllingthe same; of a cylinder, a coupling for the train-pipe and a valve-seat,all cast in one piece, and a pres` sure-valve adapted to open into thecylinder at a predetermined pressure substantially as and for thepurpose described.

4. An angle-cock having a turning plug with an arm attached thereto andapneumatic piston and cylinder for Working said arm, a Valve-chamberopening on opposite `sides of the turning plug, and a valve located insaid chamber and controlling the passage oi air around the plugsubstantially as and for the purpose described.

5. An angle-cock havinga turning plug with an arm attached thereto and apneu-` 'of a pneumatic cylinder and pistonfor operating the rod, saidpiston having a hollow tube or sleeve extending through the end. of thecylinder and loosely receiving and acting upon the rod Which turns thecock-plug substantially as described. p

7. In an angle-cock adjuster, the combination With the plug-arm and itsturning-rod;

Vof a pneumatic cylinder having an elastic cushion in its end, a pistonhaving a tubular sleeve extending through and closely fitting Vsaidcushion and having also a ring or concentric lange about the sleeveadapted to pinch the cushion at the end of the stroke, substantially asdescribed.

` WILLIAM S. DE CAMP. Witnesses:

JNO. R. PHILLIPS, EDWARD MERKLE.

